In 2010, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) conducted a major review of the Federal government’s $4B multi-agency research and development program in networking and information technology (NITRD) – information here. In 2012, PCAST asked a small Working Group (Susan Graham, Peter Lee, and David Shaw) to review progress since the 2010 report and also to make further recommendations in response to the activities and advances since 2010.  The results of the Working Group’s efforts were presented at a public event in November (slides here).  This week, the full PCAST report resulting from this effort was released and forwarded to the President.  The report is available […]

The CRA’s Education Committee has published a new report in the January 2013 edition of Computing Research News on the Baccalaureate Origins of Domestic Ph.D. Students in Computing Fields. If you would like receive CRN via email, you can sign up here. The article provides an initial examination of the baccalaureate origins of domestic students who have matriculated to Ph.D. programs in computer science.  The trends and patterns in the presented data can be useful both in recruiting and, ultimately, in improving the quality and quantity of the domestic Ph.D. pipeline.

The following is an article published in the January 2013 edition of Computing Research News. If you would like receive CRN via email, you can sign up here. Computer Science Postdocs: Best Practices By Anita Jones, University of Virginia, and Erwin Gianchandani, CRA/CCC (now at NSF) The Computing Research Association’s (CRA) Board of Directors has approved a Best Practices Guide, providing guidance to graduate students, postdocs, advisors and mentors, and departments and institutions on how to have a positive postdoctoral experience within computer science and engineering.  We encourage our colleagues throughout the community to take a look at the document — the latest in a series of white papers about the recent increase in postdocs in the field […]

The following is an article published in the January 2013 edition of Computing Research News. If you would like receive CRN via email, you can sign up here. The Computing Community Consortium:  A Force Multiplier for CRA By Ed Lazowska, CCC Chair, University of Washington The Computing Community Consortium, like CRA-W, is a committee of CRA that serves as a “force multiplier” for a particular aspect of CRA’s mission.  CCC’s role is to work with the computing research community, the White House, Federal agencies, and others, to create momentum for visionary research themes that address major technical, national, and global challenges. CCC has recently secured a new 4-year award from NSF, and is transitioning from […]

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) made available by organizations like Coursera, an online education company  that offers free college courses, are gaining popularity at lightning speed. An article in the New York Times details the growth and potential profitability of free online education companies. In early 2012, Coursera was founded by two computer science professors, Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, and enrollment has reached more than a million users for over 200 courses. This rapid growth outpaces the launches of both Twitter and Facebook. The company is slowing starting to generate revenue. So far, Coursera has attracted $22 million in venture capital. Other companies offering online courses are also taking hold. Udemy allows individual […]

According to an article in CRN Magazine, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has decided to remove networking devices created by a Chinese manufacturer because of security concerns. Even though the parts have been removed, it may not be enough to stop attackers from stealing information. A security assessment focusing on sensitive networks prompted the U.S. government nuclear weapons laboratory to remove networking switches made by China-based H3C Technologies. “There is definitely been plenty of proof that the Chinese use the supply chain to their advantage,” said Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner. “If you have a high security environment and you are concerned about theft […]